College Level Examination Program

Last updated
College Level Examination Program
CLEP logo (2017).svg
Logo since 2017
AcronymCLEP
Developer / administrator College Board
Score / grade range20–80
OfferedContinuous [1]
FeeIn USD: [2]
  • $90 (2022–2023)
  • $93 (2023–2024)
Website clep.collegeboard.org

The College Level Examination Program is a group of standardized tests created and administered by the College Board. [3] These tests assess college-level knowledge in thirty-six subject areas and provide a mechanism for earning college credits without taking college courses. They are administered at more than 1,700 sites (colleges, universities, and military installations) across the United States. There are about 2,900 colleges which grant CLEP credit. [4] Each institution awards credit to students who meet the college's minimum qualifying score for that exam, which is typically 50 to 60 out of a possible 80, but varies by site and exam. [5] These tests are useful for individuals who have obtained knowledge outside the classroom, such as through independent study, homeschooling, job experience, or cultural interaction; and for students schooled outside the United States. [6] They provide an opportunity to demonstrate proficiency in specific subject areas and bypass undergraduate coursework. Many take CLEP exams because of their convenience and lower cost (price varies by institution, though typically $89) compared to a semester of coursework for comparable credit.

Contents

Test availability

The test is offered by the College Board. Approximately 2,900 colleges and universities will grant college credits for each test. Both U.S. and international schools grant CLEP credit. Most of the tests are 90 minutes long. As of 2023, they cost $90 each; they will cost $93 in the 2023–2024 school year. [2] The tests are free to U.S. military service members and some veterans. [7] [8] There is an additional fee of $10 for the optional essay portion of some of the exams. Each test usually corresponds to a one or two semester introductory course on the topic, though the Spanish, French, and German Language exams can be used to earn up to 12 credits.

CLEP exams are offered at testing centers on over 1,500 college and university campuses, many military installations, and at home with remote proctoring. [9] [10] Most centers charge an administrative or registration fee per student or per test. Fees usually range from $15–40, though they vary among test centers. Exams are administered on a computer in a lab style setting. Final results are available immediately after completing the exam.

CLEP tests are primarily multiple-choice exams (though some include fill-in or ordering questions, and one College Composition exam has an essay section) which are scored on a scale from 20 to 80. The majority of schools grant credit for a score of 50 or higher, but passing scores are determined by the individual schools and may vary. The schools are responsible for awarding the number of credits you would receive for each test. The scores in the table below are endorsed by the American Council on Education as recommended credit-granting scores for each of the exams. On foreign language tests, the score will determine the number of credit granted. For example, one university may grant 8 credits for a score of 50, 12 credits for a score of 62 and 18 credits for a score of 73.[ citation needed ]

Transferring credits

CLEP administrators will send test scores to any school the student designates. Currently, over 2,900 colleges will accept credit earned by CLEP tests. However, some colleges do not accept the credit for every test that CLEP offers. [11]

Currently available exams

As of 2014, the CLEP Examinations offered include: [12]
Business
Financial Accounting
Business Law, Introductory
Information Systems and Computer Applications
Management, Principles of
Marketing, Principles of
Composition and Literature
American Literature
Analyzing and Interpreting Literature
College Composition
College Composition Modular
English Literature
Humanities
Foreign Languages
French Language, Levels 1 and 2
German Language, Levels 1 and 2
Spanish Language, Levels 1 and 2
Spanish with Writing, Levels 1 and 2
History and Social Sciences
American Government
Educational Psychology, Introduction to
History of the United States I: Early Colonization to 1877
History of the United States II: 1865 to Present
Human Growth and Development
Principles of Macroeconomics
Principles of Microeconomics
Introductory Psychology
Social Sciences and History
Introductory Sociology
Western Civilization I: Ancient Near East to 1648
Western Civilization II: 1648 to Present
Science and Mathematics
Biology
Calculus
Chemistry
College Algebra
College Mathematics
Precalculus
Natural Sciences

Comparison with AP programs

Both CLEP and AP (Advanced Placement) programs are offered by the College Board and offer students the opportunity to master introductory college-level work. The main difference between the two is that CLEP programs are designed to be taken without enrolling in classes, while AP exams are normally taken after completing an AP course. [13] AP exams are graded in 5 grades, while CLEP exams has a score range of 20 to 80, with 50 being the recommended minimum passing score. [14] There is an upper age limit of 21 for taking AP exams, [15] while CLEP exams can be taken by people of all ages.

Exams for U.S. military personnel and veterans

CLEP exams are available free of charge for all qualifying United States Armed Forces personnel. The United States Department of Veterans Affairs also reimburses veterans for taking CLEP exams. [16]

Currently, for all United States Armed Forces, personnel are allowed to take one free CLEP; however, personnel that fail the chosen CLEP must pay to take it again. Previously, personnel could retake a CLEP as many times as possible free of charge.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Advanced Placement</span> American program with college-level classes offered to high school students

Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board. AP offers undergraduate university-level curricula and examinations to high school students. Colleges and universities in the US and elsewhere may grant placement and course credit to students who obtain qualifying scores on the examinations. The AP curriculum for each of the various subjects is created for the College Board by a panel of experts and college-level educators in that academic discipline. For a high school course to have the designation, the course must be audited by the College Board to ascertain that it satisfies the AP curriculum as specified in the Board's Course and Examination Description (CED). If the course is approved, the school may use the AP designation and the course will be publicly listed on the AP Course Ledger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College Board</span> US educational nonprofit testing organization

The College Board is an American not-for-profit organization that was formed in December 1899 as the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) to expand access to higher education. While the College Board is not an association of colleges, it runs a membership association of institutions, including over 6,000 schools, colleges, universities, and other educational organizations.

University admission or college admission is the process through which students enter tertiary education at universities and colleges. Systems vary widely from country to country, and sometimes from institution to institution.

In New York State, Regents Examinations are statewide standardized examinations in core high school subjects. Students are required to pass these exams to earn a Regents Diploma. To graduate, students are required to have earned appropriate credits in a number of specific subjects by passing year-long or half-year courses, after which they must pass at least five Regents examinations in some of the subject areas. For higher-achieving students, a Regents with Advanced designation and an Honors designation are also offered. Students with disabilities or enrolled in an English as a Second Language program are able to earn a local diploma.

Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry is a course and examination offered by the College Board as a part of the Advanced Placement Program to give American and Canadian high school students the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and earn college-level credits at certain colleges and universities. The AP Chemistry Exam has the lowest test participation rate out of all AP Courses, with around half of AP Chemistry students taking the exam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High School of American Studies</span> Specialized high school in New York City

The High School of American Studies at Lehman College is a specialized high school in New York City. The school is administered by the New York City Department of Education. It receives supplementary funding from The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus is a set of two distinct Advanced Placement calculus courses and exams offered by the American nonprofit organization College Board. AP Calculus AB covers basic introductions to limits, derivatives, and integrals. AP Calculus BC covers all AP Calculus AB topics plus additional topics.

DSST are credit-by-examination tests originated by the United States Department of Defense's Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) program. The program is an extensive series of 33 examinations in college subject areas that are comparable to the final or end-of-course examinations in undergraduate college courses. These tests are frequently used in conjunction with CLEP tests by students pursuing college degrees in non-traditional formats. Whereas CLEP tests are almost exclusively used for lower level credit at regionally accredited institutions, DSST's are available for both upper and lower level credit.

Advanced Placement (AP) English Language and Composition is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program.

Advanced Placement (AP) Statistics is a college-level high school statistics course offered in the United States through the College Board's Advanced Placement program. This course is equivalent to a one semester, non-calculus-based introductory college statistics course and is normally offered to sophomores, juniors and seniors in high school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elmont Memorial High School</span> High school in Nassau County, New York, United States

Elmont Memorial High School (EMHS) is a co-educational, public high school founded in 1956 for students in grades 7–12 in the hamlet of Elmont, Long Island, New York, in Nassau County, United States. The school is one of five secondary schools of the Sewanhaka Central High School District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Advanced Placement exams</span> Exams offered by College Board culminating Advanced Placement courses

Advanced Placement (AP) examinations are exams offered in United States by the College Board and are taken each May by students. The tests are the culmination of year-long Advanced Placement (AP) courses, which are typically offered at the high school level. AP exams have a multiple-choice section and a free-response section.

Advanced Placement (AP) Music Theory is a course and examination offered in the United States by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program to high school students who wish to earn credit for a college level music theory course.

Advanced Placement (AP) Physics C: Mechanics is an introductory physics course administered by the College Board as part of its Advanced Placement program. It is intended to proxy a one-semester calculus-based university course in mechanics. The content of Physics C: Mechanics overlaps with that of AP Physics 1, but Physics 1 is algebra-based, while Physics C is calculus-based. Physics C: Mechanics may be combined with its electricity and magnetism counterpart to form a year-long course that prepares for both exams.

Advanced Placement (AP) Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism is an introductory physics course administered by the College Board as part of its Advanced Placement program. It is intended to proxy a second-semester calculus-based university course in electricity and magnetism. The content of Physics C: E&M overlaps with that of AP Physics 2, but Physics 2 is algebra-based and covers other topics outside of electromagnetism, while Physics C is calculus-based and only covers electromagnetism. Physics C: E&M may be combined with its mechanics counterpart to form a year-long course that prepares for both exams.

The General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced Level, or A Level, is a main school leaving qualification in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It is available as an alternative qualification in other countries.

There are four Advanced Placement (AP) Physics courses administered by the College Board as part of its Advanced Placement program: the algebra-based Physics 1 and Physics 2 and the calculus-based Physics C: Mechanics and Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism. All are intended to be at the college level. Each AP Physics course has an exam for which high-performing students may receive credit toward their college coursework.

A high school diploma is a diploma awarded upon graduation of high school. A high school diploma is awarded after completion of courses of studies lasting four years, typically from grade 9 to grade 12. It is the school leaving qualification in the United States and Canada.

Advanced Placement (AP) International English Language is an AP Examinations course managed by Educational Testing Service (ETS) with the sponsorship of the College Board in New York. It is designed for non-native speakers to prepare for studying in an English-speaking university, particularly in North America. The course also gives students a chance to earn college credit. The three-hour exam assesses four language skills: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. The test paper has two sections: multiple-choice questions and free-response questions. APIEL committee consists of high school and university English teachers from Belgium, China, France, Germany, Switzerland, and the United States.

The 2020 Advanced Placement examination controversy involved College Board, a nonprofit education company, allegedly performing a series of potentially illegal activities, including phishing students and creating unfair testing conditions. Estimates indicated that 4,914,000 AP tests were taken online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with some experiencing technical difficulties while submitting their examinations. In response, a lawsuit was filed against the College Board alleging breach of contract, gross negligence, misrepresentation, unjust enrichment and violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The lawsuit was subsequently administratively closed pending the outcome of arbitration between the College Board and the plaintiffs.

References

  1. "Are there specific test dates, or can I administer CLEP at any time?". CLEP. College Board . Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  2. 1 2 "Register for an Exam". CLEP. College Board . Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  3. College Board website: CLEP: About the Exams
  4. College Board website: CLEP: Getting Started
  5. CLEP: Getting Credit
  6. DANTES: College Level Examination Program Archived 2007-05-28 at the Wayback Machine
  7. College Board website: CLEP for Military Personnel Archived 2010-04-12 at the Wayback Machine
  8. College Board website: CLEP for Veterans Archived 2010-04-30 at the Wayback Machine
  9. "CLEP Test Centers" . Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  10. "Take a CLEP Exam with Remote Proctoring – CLEP". College Board. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  11. "CLEP: Search Institution Policies". Collegeboard. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  12. "Exam Topics – CLEP | College Board".
  13. "Comparing CLEP and AP". College Board.
  14. "CLEP Exam vs. AP Test: Difficulty & Differences".
  15. "Can I take an AP Exam after I complete Grade 12?". College Board.
  16. College Board website: CLEP for Military Personnel Archived 2010-04-12 at the Wayback Machine